Giving Stories: Adam the Piglet

Rescue Stories That Inspire

The animals are what inspire us to remain dedicated to our cause. This November we share their stories with you and hope they inspire your #GivingStory.

In January 2017, in the middle of a cold night in Michigan, Adam and his brother Matt took a literal leap of faith, jumping from a dreadful destiny into the unknown. Nights are when the meat and dairy transport trucks can roam the streets without the public noticing their cargo of suffering animals. Adam and his brother Matt were en route on a transport truck, but they both escaped. Adam and his brother were found in Midland, Michigan by the Humane Society. The brave duo were both only seven or eight weeks old and badly injured from the jump. Adam suffered road rash and had several bruises, but his brother had several more serious injuries.

When we picked up Adam and Matt, we took them to the hospital to examine how bad their wounds were. Matt suffered internal injuries and bleeding. Sadly, he didn’t survive the jump. While Adam is luckier than most pigs to have escaped a terrible fate, it was not an easy journey to freedom for him. In a short week, Adam escaped captivity, suffered wounds of his own, and lost his brother.

Ever since he was a young piglet Adam has been a darling. A sweet, loving and kind pig, it’s hard to imagine Adam ending up at a slaughterhouse. It’s a terrible fate that too many intelligent and emotional animals with individual personalities are sentenced to every day.

Pigs are incredibly social animals, exhibiting emotions similar to humans and our beloved dog companions. Studies repeatedly show that they are as—if not more— intelligent than dogs. They form close social attachments to other pigs as well.

For several months after Matt passed, Adam stayed in his own pen without companion because he was too young to place with the older pigs. It wasn’t until we rescued Penny in the Summer of 2017 that Adam found a new best friend to pass his days with.

Despite the hardships that Adam and Penny both endured separately in their young lives, they found a forever home at Barn Sanctuary and a lifelong friendship in each other.